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New Delhi: On May 31, 2023, Narendra Modi completed nine years as the prime minister of India. Speaking about the moment, the prime minister said he’s filled with “humility and gratitude”.
“Today, as we complete 9 years in service to the nation, I am filled with humility and gratitude. Every decision made, every action taken, has been guided by the desire to improve the lives of people. We will keep working even harder to build a developed India. #9YearsOfSeva,” wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter.
Triple Talaq Law: The Parliament’s decision to pass the Triple Talaq Bill to criminalise instant divorce seems to have cemented support for BJP from women voters. As per the law, Muslim men who do instant divorce or Triple Talaq can be arrested and jailed for three years. The government was able to get the Bill to be passed by both Houses of Parliament as it had the numbers, and the abstinence of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) from voting made it easier.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019: Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill on August 5, 2019 and announced the abrogation of Article 370. The move met with massive resistance from opposition parties as the statehood was J&K was (temporarily) withdrawn and the special status accorded to J&K was taken away. Once the bill was passed by both the Houses of the Parliament, the state of Jammu & Kashmir was split into two Union Territories — J&K, with its own legislative Assembly like Delhi, and Ladakh without one like Chandigarh.
GST Law: The Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016, paved the way for introduction of Goods and Services Tax in the country. The Central Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (CGST Bill), the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (IGST Bill), and Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (UTGST Bill), and Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the states) Bill 2017, were approved by the GST Council. These Bills were passed by the Lok Sabha on March 29, 2017. Subsequently, these Bills were cleared by the Rajya Sabha on April 6, 2017. These Bills were then enacted as Acts on April 12, 2017.
Farm Laws: After a huge uproar in the Parliament, the government passed the three farm laws in 2020. The Lok Sabha approved the Bills on 17 September 2020 and the Rajya Sabha on 20 September 2020. The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, gave his assent on 27 September 2020. However, in what is considered as the biggest setback for the Modi government, after widespread protest by farmer unions in the borders of the national capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 November 2021, announced the repeal of the three contentious farm laws.
Citizenship Amendment Act: Even before the farm laws, the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill by both Houses of Parliament, followed by the President’s assent, had led to widespread protests across the country. As per the Act, Indian citizenship would be granted to Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Christian minorities who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan before 2015.
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019: The Parliament of India approved the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019, which gives the power to the Centre and states to declare any individual a terrorist and confiscate their property. After Home Minister Amit Shah moved the Bill, it was passed by both Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha even as the Left parties and the Trinamool Congress called it a draconian move. According to the Home Minister, the Bill would send a strong message that India is united in its fight against terrorism and assured that it provides a four-level scrutiny to keep violation of human rights in check.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2019: The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had brought the 124th Constitution Amendment Bill, 2019, providing for people from economically weaker sections (EWS) to avail of 10 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutes. Those candidates in general category with an annual income (for family) of up to Rs 8 lakh and not availing any reservation other than vertical quota (ex-servicemen, persons with disability, etc) benefit from this move. The Act, amended Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution, by adding a clause which allows states to make “special provision for the advancement of any economically weaker sections of citizens”. It also said the reservation would be “in addition to the existing reservations and subject to a maximum of 10 per cent of the total seats in each category”.
SPG (Amendment) Act: The passage of the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019 by the Parliament also triggered a row. After the amendment, SPG cover got limited to only to the prime minister and his immediate family members staying with him at the PM’s residence. Former prime ministers and their immediate family residing with them won’t get SPG cover for more than five years after demitting office. The move snatched the cover of former PM Manmohan Singh as well as that of the Gandhi family and led to a heated war of words. While the Congress termed this “vendetta politics”, Home Minister Amit Shah said he was “opposed to dynasties, not families”. He said the government was concerned about the security of “130 crore Indians,” and they included the Gandhis as well as “BJP workers”.
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